Superman

February 15th, 2012 | by: elaine | Comments Off

They say that superheroes are make believe, but there is one who is very, very, real. In fact, the only thing make believe about him is who could possibly ever step up and fill his shoes. His given name is Gianluigi Buffon, but fans of the Azzurri call him Superman.

Buffon was first capped for the National Team when he was 19 years old, incredibly rare for a goalkeeper. After 112 appearances for Italy, he is widely regarded as the best in the world. Not that this is news, but I think sometimes we take him for granted.

Well recently, a group known as the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) collected data on goalkeepers worldwide for their performances with both club and country and proclaimed Buffon the best keeper in the last 25 years.

Even more recently, their data concluded that he is the best keeper in the 21st century, ahead of Iker Casillas, Petr Cech, Edwin van Der Saar, Oliver Kahn, Nelson Dida, Victor Valdes, Julio Cesar, Jens Lehmann, and Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri. A pretty impressive list to be on, let alone to top.

So I wonder what kind of data was collected that crowned him king of the keepers? Was it his affable, endearing personality? His way-hotter-than-Lois Lane supermodel wife? The way he rallies around his teammates? Nah, probably just his mad keeper skills. Those other things just set him apart from the rest even further.

Speaking of mad keeping skills, there are tons of great video compilations out there of his super saves. The man has a highlight reel as long as his career of superhuman saves. And just to prove he actually is a superhero and more specifically that he can fly, I offer this as evidence:

His only kryptonite are injuries, specifically to his back. Were it not for the injury and surgery in 2010, Italy would have been spared the shame endured with a shambolic squad and a deer-caught-in-the-headlights Marchetti. Because Buffon is that good, to be able to singlehandedly keep a team in the game. Superman.

So the search goes on for the mythical “#2” for the Azzurri, and no matter how great that keeper is, he will never be able to wear the cape for Italy’s eternal #1. It is hard to think of a day when Buffon will not be in the nets for the Azzurri, but 2010 taught us that the day will come when we need a new hero. And despite a plethora of great keeping talent in Italy, we may have to settle for a mere mortal. Until then, let’s treasure each match with our supehero and world’s greatest #1.

The IFFHS have statistically confirmed what Azzurri fans already know in our hearts: Gianluigi Buffon is one of the greatest keepers of all time. And maybe they can’t prove that he is a superhero, but in my mind, there is no doubt.

When Elaine isn’t searching mythical planets in search of Italy’s next great keeper, she is on Twitter. @ItalyWCB